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The Spleen of Paris contains Charles Baudelaire's prose poems, and, after Les Fleurs du Mal, it is arguably one of his most important poetic works. The collection spans the entire panorama of life in mid-19th century Paris and beyond. From tales inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, to portraits of the poor both young and old, fickle courtesans and mistresses, tired and opportunistic carnival performers, far away tropical paradises, urban squalor and bourgeois hypocrisy; Baudelaire captures it all with his unique pessimistic, often humorous style, filled with irony and biting social criticism.
Written and compiled over the last ten years of his life, The Spleen of Paris wasn't published in its entirety until 1869, after Baudelaire's death. This translation is based on that edition, and brings Baudelaire's intense observation and poetic vision to life for modern audiences. Through his writing, we can relive the world of that bygone era, a Paris where something was always rotten beneath the fancy veneer, and also, lurking somewhere among the unforgiving backstreets where you'd least expect it, a sense of humanity.
About the author
Christopher Breslin, a poet and artist in his own right, brings a deep and sensitive appreciation for history and language to all his work. In addition to The Spleen of Paris, he has also translated Racine's Phaedra, numerous poems by Renée Vivien and Pierre de Ronsard, and Henri Guillemin's The Engulfed, a biography of Adèle Hugo.
